Hardware Category Manager

In this role, you will own strategic hardware sourcing for a global technology-led financial services business. You’ll partner with technology and infrastructure teams to shape sourcing decisions, manage major suppliers, and secure strong commercial terms and supply strategies. You will tackle hardware categories like servers, compute, networking, and storage, focusing on lifecycle, risk, and total cost of ownership. This is an opportunity to influence global procurement practice and align supplier strategies with engineering roadmaps.

• Lead strategic sourcing initiatives across enterprise hardware (servers, compute, networking, storage)
• Run competitive sourcing and negotiations from requirements to contract award
• Own relationships with OEMs, distributors, and strategic suppliers
• Negotiate pricing, terms, warranties, support, and SLAs
• Translate infrastructure requirements into sourcing strategies with technical stakeholders
• Assess supplier performance and hardware supply risks (availability, lead times, lifecycle)
• Support analyses on hardware refreshes, standardisation, and TCO
• Monitor market conditions and pricing developments impacting sourcing decisions
• Coordinate with regional procurement teams to harmonise supplier and category strategies

• 5+ years in technology procurement, sourcing, or category management
• Hands-on experience purchasing enterprise hardware (servers, compute, networking, storage)
• Experience leading complex sourcing projects from requirements through contracting
• Strong commercial negotiation with OEMs, distributors, and suppliers
• Understanding of hardware supply chains incl. availability, lead times, lifecycle, warranties, support
• Ability to work with engineering and infrastructure stakeholders
• Strong analytical skills (TCO, cost modelling, bid evaluation)
• Experience in international or matrixed organisations
• Nice-to-have: exposure to financial services or tech-intensive environments
• Knowledge of procurement platforms (Coupa or SAP Ariba) or relevant risk frameworks

• collaborative mindset
• analytical thinking
• strong communication and stakeholder management
• enterprise hardware procurement
• TCO analysis
• cost modelling